The confirmation last week of H5N1 bird flu in northern elephant seals at California’s Año Nuevo State Parkhas put wildlife managers and public health officials on alert.

In the forests of the Sierra Nevada, the black-backed woodpecker is without parallel. The bird appears almost born of fire, thriving on the flames that flicker through California’s coniferous forests ...

Long-term research in California shows that many bird populations increase after wildfires and can remain more abundant in burned areas for decades, especially following moderate fires. Although some ...